Reflections from the Tail: Dogs and Kids

Long before I had children I had dogs. Two Springer Spaniels named Katie and Strider. They were 8 months old when they chose to live with me and my husband. They had a sense we'd be doting master parents and they were right.

I always told my friends that dogs and kids weren't much different, one species has 2 legs, the other 4. We didn't have children like all our friends. I did have a step-son who visited us during school vacations from the Pacific Northwest, three times a year.

Over the years I observed that children and dogs do many of the same things. They both love to run and play, catch a frisbee, go for rides in the car, swim in the lake and look for your undivided attention, all the time.

They love the same foods, especially cookies, cheese, pizza crust, popcorn, and steak.

We lost both dogs shortly after our twin boys were born in 1998. Strider would have turned 15 and Katie 14. We were now ready for parenthood and applied our dog knowledge to our children.

Our boys will soon be 14 and over the years they have run and played, caught frisbees at the beach, have taken long rides in the car, swam in the lake, inhaled popcorn at the movies, taken my pizza crust, help their father grill steak in the backyard, stolen my chocolate chip cookies off the cooling rack and are always looking for my undivided attention; especially when I'm on the phone.

Like I said, children and dogs are one in the same and the photos below will prove it.

ENJOY !!